Author: admin
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Belarus Will Never Send ‘Bad Vodka’ to the Russians, Lukashenko Promises Putin
Belarus will only supply good vodka and snacks to Russia regardless of strains on bilateral ties, the country’s President Alexander Lukashenko promised at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. Lukashenko arrived in southern Russia’s resort city of Sochi for talks that could last for up to three days, the Kremlin said earlier…
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Siberian Freighters Forced to Defreeze Ships in Minus 50 C
When the Siberian winter bites and the mighty Lena River freezes, workers at the Yakutsk shipyard brace for a backbreaking but vital task — vymorozka. As Siberia’s summer is so short, freighters must be kept moving while the river, whose 4,400 kilometers carry the region’s economic lifeblood, is navigable. Repairs must be done in winter, when…
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First Russian Charged for Encouraging Children to Protest
A volunteer with opposition activist Alexei Navalny’s campaign has become the first person to be prosecuted under a new law that bans encouraging young Russians to attend unsanctioned protests. Adults face 15 days of jail and fines under the new law that President Vladimir Putin signed in late December. The law was introduced after Navalny…
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Triple Sunrise Dazzles Northern Russia, in Pictures
Early risers in the Yamal-Nenets autonomous district were treated to an enchanting illusion of three glowing suns on Wednesday morning. The phenomenon is caused by tiny ice crystals refracting the light into the sky. Local residents captured the optical illusion — also known as sundog and parhelion — and shared it on Instagram. But while social…
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Moscow Has the Worst Traffic Jams in the World, Study Says
Moscow has been named as the world capital of traffic jams in 2018 in an annual report released by the INRIX automotive analytics company. In the rating, Moscow edged out other global cities renowned for traffic congestion including Istanbul, Bogota, Mexico City and Sao Paulo. Other Russian cities in the ranking of 220 included St.…
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Aeroflot Cancels or Delays 100 Flights in Moscow Over Snowstorm
Russia’s flag carrier Aeroflot has drawn the ire of law enforcement for announcing the cancellation or delay of over 100 flights on Wednesday at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport due to heavy snow. The Moscow Meteorological Office said Tuesday night’s snowfall set a 23-year precipitation record with nearly one-third of the monthly norm, the state-run RIA Novosti…
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A Look Back at 155 Years of the Moscow Zoo, in Pictures
From baby chimps and hippos to anti-aircraft guns during World War II, the Moscow zoo has had a rich history since it was founded on Feb. 13, 1864. Celebrating its birthday on Wednesday, we look back at archival photographs of how the grounds and residents of the zoo have changed throughout the years. Having started off…
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Masked Assailants Beat Anti-Corruption Activist to Death Near Moscow
The regional head of a Russian anti-corruption group was been beaten to death outside Moscow, the man’s colleague told local media. Civil activists, politicians and journalists have been threatened or attacked at an increasing rate in recent years in Russia, a report on political violence said last fall. Read More Attacks on Russian Activists and…
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Russia Warns U.S. Against Meddling in Venezuela Crisis
Russia said on Tuesday it was ready to facilitate the start of dialogue between Venezuela’s government and opposition but warned the United States against intervening in Caracas’ internal affairs. Russia has sided with President Nicolas Maduro in his stand-off with opposition leader Juan Guaido. Maduro retains control of state institutions including the military, but most Western countries,…
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Moody’s upgrades Severstal to Baa2 with stable outlook
February 13, 2019 PAO Severstal (“Severstal”; “the Company”), one of the world’s leading vertically integrated steel and steel-related mining companies, announces that Moody’s has upgraded its rating on Severstal to Baa2 from Baa3 and changed its outlook from positive to stable. Moody’s also raised Russia’s country ceilings for foreign currency debt to Baa2/P-2 from Baa3/P-3…
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Russia Moves to Grant Government the Power to Shut Down the Internet, Explained
Russian lawmakers advanced a contentious draft bill on Tuesday that seeks to give the authorities the power to unplug the national internet network from the outside world. Deputies submitted the measures to tighten state control over the internet in December, citing the need to respond to an “aggressive” U.S. national cybersecurity strategy. Although Russia’s state…
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Doha Hosts Sambo Exhibition Performances Sponsored by Rosneft
Aspire Zone sports complex in Doha hosted an exhibition performance of Russian sambo athletes during the celebration of National Sports Day in Qatar. Rosneft Oil Company provided for the event as its main sponsor. The exhibition show, as well as a series of workshops by the seven best Russian sambo athletes, introduced the locals to…
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Expect Slower GDP Growth in 2019, Russia’s Economic Ministry Says
Russia’s Economic Development Ministry has projected significantly slower GDP growth over the next year, describing growth at 2018 levels as “unsustainable.” The Rosstat federal statistics agency sparked skepticism last week for releasing figures that suggested that Russia’s economy had grown 2.3 percent in 2018 — its fastest rate since 2012 and up from 1.6 percent…
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ROSATOM launched the program to train managers of NPP construction projects
ROSATOM has launched the sector-wide Advance Training Program for managers of nuclear facility construction projects in the Russian Federation and abroad. It will allow building up new competences, implement best world practices of construction project management on sites and train necessary candidates pool for implementation of the world’s largest portfolio of NPP construction projects. The…
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Russia Suspends Mission to the Sun
Russian scientists have again delayed the launch of a research spacecraft to the sun over technical issues, researchers say. Russia had been scheduled to send the spacecraft as part of the “Interheliozond” project sometime after 2015, though this was later postponed to 2022 and then again to a final date of 2026. Read More Russia…
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Plane Ladder Collapses in Siberia, Injuring Passengers
A group of passengers plummeted from a plane ladder when it collapsed as they boarded a flight from Siberia to Moscow, officials said on Tuesday. Black-and-white footage of the incident showed passengers boarding a Ural Airlines flight when the ladder’s platform suddenly buckled, dropping the passengers to the ground. At least five passengers were injured…
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Two Estonians Convicted of Spying for Russia
A court in Estonia has convicted a former military member and his father of espionage for Russia. Ex-defense force member Deniss Metsavas, 38, and his father Pyotr Volin, 65, were suspected of treason and placed in custody by a court in Tallinn in September. Metsavas was suspected of passing state secrets and classified information to…
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Urengoy Waltz dancesport competition held in Novy Urengoy
News from projects and regions February 11, 2019, 18:00 On February 10, Novy Urengoy’s Gazodobytchik Culture and Sports Center hosted the 20th annual open dancesport competition Urengoy Waltz. The tournament combined an open competition for the Gazprom Dobycha Urengoy Cup with the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area dancesport contest and championship. This festival of dance has for many years been…
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Moscow Buddhists Commemorate Year of the Pig With Fire, in Photos
A group of Buddhists held a ceremony in honor of the new lunar year at a temple in northeastern Moscow on Sunday, Feb. 10. They celebrated the beginning of the Year of the Earth Pig at the Drepung Gomang Buddhist monastery, lighting fire offerings in a traditional ceremony. Here’s a look at the ritual.
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Record Fishbone Built at East-Messoyakha field
A unique for the industry multilateral well with eight branch holes by the fishbone* technology was built at East-Messoyakha field. The length of the productive hole is 5.1 km, the total drilling rate is 9.1 km. The oil-saturated layer in the drilling area did not exceed 12 m. Fishbones are the trademark of Messoyakhaneftegaz. The…
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FSB Officer Beaten in Moscow, Reports Say
A Federal Security Service (FSB) officer on duty was reportedly assaulted in central Moscow over the weekend after an attack on his service vehicle. FSB lieutenant general Oleg Budagotsky was inside his squad car on Sunday when unknown assailants threw a bottle at the window, the RBC news website reported Monday. Budagotsky was then beaten…
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Putin’s Ambitious Plan to Overhaul Russia’s Economy Will Cost $390 Bln, Government Estimates
Russia will spend 25.7 trillion rubles ($391 billion) on carrying out President Vladimir Putin’s expansive promises to overhaul Russia’s economy by the end of his last term in office, according to a new government estimate. After his inauguration last May, Putin outlined plans to spend at least 8 trillion rubles on infrastructure and social issues…
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Mourinho Rejoins Kremlin-Run RT for Champions League
Ex-Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho will return to the Kremlin-run RT news network to cover the UEFA Champions League, the network has said. The Portuguese manager was reportedly paid at least 1 million British pounds ($1.3 million) for five days’ work during the 2018 FIFA World Cup that Russia hosted in the summer. RT has…
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‘The Theater’ in 2019
A conversation with Vladimir Urin, general director of the Bolshoi Theater. Damir Yusupov / Bolshoi Theater In Russia, the Bolshoi Theater is “the theater” — the most prestigious venue for opera and ballet in the country. The Moscow Times talked to Vladimir Urin, the Bolshoi’s general director, about the theater’s plans for 2019. Which blockbuster…
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Russian Farmer Eaten Alive by Pigs
A farmer in central Russia has reportedly been eaten alive by her pigs after suffering a seizure earlier this month. The 56-year-old lost consciousness inside the pig pen where she met a tragic end on Feb. 1, local media cited investigators in Russia’s republic of Udmurtia as saying last week. “The hungry animals chewed through…
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Russian Town Chases Out Rowdy Polar Bear Invaders
Authorities in Russia’s remote Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya have taken measures to chase away a band of polar bears that had established a reign of terror over locals in recent days. Photos and videos on social media showed polar bears entering apartment blocks and other living quarters and rummaging through garbage in the settlement of 3,000.…
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Majority of Russians Believe Top Politicians Are Lying to Them – Poll
A majority of Russians say that top officials are lying to them about the true state of affairs in the country, according to a new survey released by the independent pollster Levada Center. Russians’ trust in institutions including the presidency, the government, the State Duma and political parties has reached record lows since the government passed…
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Russian Opposition Rallies Calling For Release of Political Prisoners
On Sunday Feb.10, Russian protesters rallied in Moscow and St. Petersburg to demand freedom for political prisoners after a daughter of activist Anastasia Shevchenko died in hospital while her mother was under house arrest. Shevchenko is a member of Open Russia movement, founded by Kremlin critic and former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and was arrested in January, accused…
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The Magical Light of Arkhip Kuindzhi
Come and be dazzled “Birch Grove” 1879 Arkhip Kuindzhi Courtesy of Tretyakov Gallery On January 27, Arkhip Kuindzhi’s exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery—a retrospective in honor of the artist’s 175th birthday—became a news sensation after a 31-year-old man stole the painting “Ai-Petri. Crimea” during the museum’s working hours. The heist, which made worldwide headlines, also…
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Russia’s Investigative Committee Seeks Donations for Archangel Statue, Reports Say
The head of Russia’s Investigative Committee is reportedly seeking donations for the construction of a bronze Archangel Michael statue at the entrance of his agency’s new headquarters in Moscow as religious symbols gain an increasingly prominent place in Russian state institutions. The Russian Orthodox Church has become a powerful political force since the anointment of Patriarch Kirill as its…
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Russia Says Ready for Talks With Netherlands on MH17
Russia is ready to engage in talks with the Netherlands about the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17, Interfax news agency cited Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko as saying on Friday. Read More MH17: In Search of Justice (Op-ed) The Dutch government said earlier this week it was “increasingly confident” that Russian officials would…
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After Jailing of Jehovah’s Witness, Human Rights Activists Warn of ‘Wave’ of Arrests
Two days after a Russian court sentenced a Jehovah’s Witness to six years in jail, human rights activists have warned the case will trigger a crackdown on other religious minorities. On Wednesday, Dennis Christensen became the first Jehovah’s Witness convicted for extremism after Russia’s Supreme Court blacklisted the religious group in April 2017. Read More…
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Reebok Admits Cunnilingus Is No Joke in Russia
Reebok has pulled a racy ad in Russia after online users and the apparel company’s management derided it as being done in bad taste. Styled after the global #BeMoreHuman campaign that features celebrities like Gal Gadot and Ariana Grande, Reebok launched a Russian version on Thursday with a hashtag that roughly translates as #OutOfLine. Russia’s…
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Russian Journalist Charged With ‘Justifying Terrorism’ After Critical Comments
A Russian reporter faces possible jail time over comments about a 2018 suicide bombing that was critical of the authorities, in a case that rights activists have called an attack on free speech. Security officers raided journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva’s home in the northwestern city of Pskov on Wednesday in connection with her on-air criticism of…
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Paralympic Committee Lifts Russia Ban, With Conditions
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said on Friday it would lift the ban on Russia’s Paralympic Committee by March 15, under certain conditions. Russia has been barred from international Paralympic competitions since August 2016 over allegations of state-sponsored doping similar to the ones that led to the suspension of its athletics federation and anti-doping agency. The IPC…
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Russia Pledges Response to Norwegian Military Activity
Russia on Thursday accused Norway of pushing ahead with a military build-up which it said increased the risks of military action and required some kind of Russian response. Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Moscow had watched as NATO member Norway had become more and more active in helping the Western military alliance build up its presence in the Arctic…
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Bus Falls Off Cliff in Russia, Killing 6 Miners
A bus carrying 22 miners plunged off a cliff in Russia on Friday, killing six workers of a company that owns the country’s largest coal mine, authorities have said. Videos from the scene of the incident in the Kemerovo region showed an upside-down orange Kamaz truck in a gray pit. “The Kamaz fell off an…
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Kremlin Says Don’t Look for Common Sense From Russia’s Rulers
Don’t rely on common sense if you want to understand how modern Russia is run. That’s the advice from President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov. “In governing, we can’t operate on the basis of common sense,” Peskov told reporters Thursday on a conference call. “First of all, we operate in terms of what is legal…
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Severstal’s Izhora Pipe Mill to supply Gazprom with over 200 thousad tos of pipes
February 8, 2019 Izhora Pipe Mill (IPM, part of PAO Severstal) has won several tenders to supply PAO Gazprom with over 200 thousand tons of large diameter pipes. The products will be used in the development of gas transmission capacities for the Unified Gas Supply System in the North-West Region (NEGP), as well as the…
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Russia Welcomes Trump Offer of New Nuclear Pact, Awaits Details
Russia welcomed an offer by U.S. President Donald Trump to renegotiate a landmark nuclear missile pact after he quit the agreement, while cautioning that it’s received no specific proposals yet. “We saw President Trump’s statement about the possibility of a new treaty, which should include other countries,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters…
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Two More Russian Cities Abolish Mayoral Elections
Igor Ivanko / Moskva News Agency The residents of two more Siberian cities have now lost the right to elect their mayor in the latest restriction of direct elections in the country. Regional lawmakers voted in April 2018 to abolish direct mayoral elections in Russia’s fourth-largest city of Yekaterinburg, leading its popular mayor Yevgeny Roizman…
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Russian Race Walker Kirdyapkina Gets Doping Ban
Russian race walker Anisya Kirdyapkina has been suspended for doping and is set to be stripped of two World Championship medals, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Thursday. “All results of Ms Kirdyapkina since 25 February 2011 were disqualified through to 11 October 2013, including forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, points…
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Kremlin Denies About-Face on Maduro, Brushes Off Evacuation Plans
The Kremlin has denied that it is wavering in its support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro following media reports that Russia is beginning to doubt the leader’s ability to survive an opposition challenge. While Moscow has publicly backed Maduro as he faces calls to step down, Bloomberg on Wednesday cited unnamed sources close to the…
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U.S. Shuts Down Only Immigration Office in Russia, Citing Falling Demand
The United States has announced that it will close its only immigration office in Russia next month over what it called a “significant decrease in workload.” The move follows two years of mutual diplomatic staff cuts and consulate closures after the U.S. said that Russia interfered in its presidential election in 2016. Late last year, the…
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Russia Would Be Open to U.S. Proposals for New Nuclear Pact, Minister Says
Russia would be prepared to consider new proposals from the United States to replace a suspended Cold War-era nuclear pact with a broader treaty that includes more countries, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday. Russia suspended the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty at the weekend after Washington announced it would withdraw in six months unless Russia ends…
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Google Began Censoring Search Results in Russia, Reports Say
Google has started to remove certain entries from its search results in Russia in compliance with long-standing demands from the authorities, the Vedomosti business daily reported Wednesday. Russia fined Google $7,500 in November 2018 for failing to take down certain search results. New regulations that went into effect in November 2017 require search engines to delete results to…
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Republican Activist Linked to Russian Agent Charged With Money Laundering, Fraud
A conservative U.S. political activist romantically linked to admitted Russian agent Maria Butina has been indicted by a federal grand jury on wire fraud and money laundering charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Dakota said on Wednesday. Paul Erickson, 56, was indicted on 11 counts of wire fraud and money laundering on Tuesday and…
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Russia Approves 43M Dollar Loan to Cuba’s Military
Russia has approved a 38 million euro ($43.27 million) loan for Cuba’s defense sector, a senior Russian defense official was quoted as saying on Wednesday. The deal was first announced in November after Russian President Vladimir Putin met Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Moscow. It has now been finalized by Russia, Dmitry Shugayev, head of…
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On Visit to Russia, Taliban Says It Wants U.S. Pullout in Months
The Taliban is seeking the pullout of all foreign troops from Afghanistan within months, a senior official said, as the fundamentalist Islamic movement reached out to opponents of U.S.-backed President Ashraf Ghani at talks in Moscow. “This is the first step,’’ Sher Mohammed Abbas Stanikzai told reporters in the Russian capital after meeting with other…
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Russia to Parade Syrian War Trophies in Cross Country Tour
Russia’s military has announced plans to showcase the weapons and equipment it seized in Syria on a tour across the country. Moscow has fought on the side of the Syrian government in its civil war since 2015. In December, the Russian military displayed 40 pieces of what it claimed to be U.S., French, Israeli and…
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Russian Court Orders Navalny to Take Down Corruption Investigation Into National Guard
A court in Moscow has ordered opposition leader Alexei Navalny to take down his second video investigation in two years. Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation alleged in August that at least $29 million had been stolen from the Russian National Guard’s food supply contracts. The video led the head of the National Guard, Viktor Zolotov, to challenge…
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Russia Starts to Worry Maduro’s Grip Is Slipping in Venezuela
Nicolas Maduro (Rayner Pena / DPA / TASS) After pledging full support for the embattled regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Russia is starting to show signs of doubt about his ability to survive an opposition challenge. While Moscow hasn’t given up its public backing of Maduro, it increasingly recognizes that the disastrous state of…
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PhosAgro FY 2018 Fertilizer & MCP Output Rose 8% y-o-y to 9.0 mln t
Moscow – PhosAgro (MOEX/LSE ticker: PHOR), one of the world’s leading vertically integrated phosphate-based fertilizer producers, increased its FY 2018 fertilizer and feed phosphates production by 7.6% year-on-year to 9.0 million tonnes. Sales for the same period grew by 9.0% year-on-year to 8.8 million tonnes. In 4Q 2018, fertilizer production rose by 1.8% year-on-year to…
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Russian Court Convicts Danish Jehovah’s Witness to 6 Years for ‘Extremism’
A Russian court for the first time convicted a Jehovah’s Witness, Danish national Dennis Christensen, on extremism charges, BBC Russia reported on Wedneday. Christensen, 46, was detained by armed security forces in the midst of a Bible reading in Oryol almost 400 kilometers south of Moscow. His detention in May 2017 came a month after…
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Russia Will Exit INF Nuclear Pact in 6 Months
Russia will exit the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty in six months as part of a symmetrical response to the United States’ pullout, Interfax cited Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Wednesday. Read More A Forced Decision: Why the U.S. Withdrew From the INF Treaty (Op-ed) President Vladimir Putin said at the weekend that Russia had suspended…
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Russia Massively Contributes to Decline in Democratic Norms, Freedom House Says
Freedom House has named Russia among a string of “heavyweight” countries that undermine democratic norms abroad, contributing to a 13th consecutive “decline in global freedom.” Russia has featured regularly in the U.S.-funded monitoring group’s annual “Freedom in the World” report documenting attacks on civil and democratic freedoms around the world. Read More How Russia’s Place…
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Gazprom continuing to adopt advanced digital technologies
Release February 6, 2019, 09:30 The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information about the ongoing implementation of advanced digital technologies within the Gazprom Group. It was highlighted that Gazprom considered digital technologies to be one of key aspects of further improving the Company’s corporate governance and strengthening its market positions, as well as a vital tool for achieving its strategic goals. Systematic work in this area…
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Online Censorship Cases in Russia Skyrocketed in 2018, NGO Says
Internet freedom continued to decline over the past year in Russia, with bans and limits on information skyrocketing, according to a new report released by the Agora human rights group. More than 115,500 cases of censorship were recorded in 2017, Agora, which tracks internet and media freedom in Russia, said last year. Since then, Russia enacted…
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Trump Held Talks With Moscow Leadership to Build Mall, Ex-Mayor Reveals
Moscow’s ex-mayor has revealed his administration’s contacts with current U.S. President Donald Trump over a sprawling underground mall near the State Duma in the late 1990s. A U.S. special counsel is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible links between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. Both Trump and Moscow deny any…
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Earth’s Magnetic Pole is Quickly Moving Toward Russia, Models Say
The natural movement of the magnetic North Pole has accelerated in recent years toward Siberia, threatening to throw the world’s smartphones and Global Positioning System (GPS) off-kilter. The magnetic North Pole’s unprecedented movement began in the mid-1990s and it is now headed from the Canadian Arctic toward Siberia at roughly 55 kilometers per year, the…